Jobs Search

Job search is said to be a job in itself and that it should be treated as a project- this is so true. Once you have your career search plan in place, start preparing a "Master Resume."  What is a "Master Resume?" It is your comprehensive resume, a master document where all your qualifications, skills, experiences, achievements, competencies, attributes and other qualities and characteristics are described and defined. I regard this resume as a working document or a resource from which you have to extract, pick, revise and adjust information for the specific job you have applied for. Within the Human Resources there are various functions such as Organizational Development, HR Strategic Planning, Recruitment, Selection and Placement, Compensation and Benefits, Training and Development, Job Evaluation, Business Process Re-engineering, Performance Management and Health and Wellness among others.  Say you are a Human Resources generalist, in other words, you have working experience of most of the functions in Human Resources, you cannot include in your CV all your working experiences, if the post advertised is a specialist position. When an advertisement wants a Job Evaluation Officer for instance, and you have experience in this line of work, why try to impress the hiring manager with your long list of experiences by providing information about the Strategic Planning or Business Process Re-engineering – the hiring manager does not want to know all about that, she wants a person who knows something about job analysis and job evaluation,   the core requirements for a Job Evaluation Officer. She wants someone with relevant skills that complements the job as advertised such as analytical skills, ability to work independently without supervision, advance presentation skills, computer skills such as PowerPoint and Excel. When applying for a specific post go to your "Master Resume" and cut out all information which is not a requirement for the post.

Justice Mandhla is the author of four books on career planning and interviews. See his complete biography at : http://www.mystudent4life.com

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